Watch Dogs

 Xbox One
User Score
6.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 907 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 458 out of 907
  2. Mixed: 223 out of 907
  3. Negative: 226 out of 907
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  1. Armis
    Nov 14, 2014
    6
    Horribly overhyped dull piece of crap. Add to that the horrible police rubberbanding (which makes it utterly impossible to ever, EVER lose the cops unless you have a gadget to prevent them spotting you in the first place. Just not fun.
  2. Gasheater
    May 29, 2014
    5
    In one word, disappointed.
    The gameplay is ok, reminiscent of assassins creed with the many, many tasks and unlocking towers to reveal further collectables and side missions, however, the graphics are a HUGE let down that have ruined the experience for me, nothing like the E3 trailers and definitely not next gen.
    A poor attempt at open world, it all feels very bland and unrealistic and    In one word, disappointed.
    The gameplay is ok, reminiscent of assassins creed with the many, many tasks and unlocking towers to reveal further collectables and side missions, however, the graphics are a HUGE let down that have ruined the experience for me, nothing like the E3 trailers and definitely not next gen.
    A poor attempt at open world, it all feels very bland and unrealistic and cumbersome.
    The wait for a true next gen title continues    … Expand
  3. someusername
    Jun 6, 2014
    5
    The game is pretty fun, but hacking gets repetitive. The car controls are EXACTLY the same as in Saints Row 2, which came out in 2008. I was shocked at how horrific they were. The story was not unique or special, and I couldn't relate to the main character. As far as graphics, cut scenes are okay but the general game doesn't look any better than a 360/ps3 game. I finished the game and didThe game is pretty fun, but hacking gets repetitive. The car controls are EXACTLY the same as in Saints Row 2, which came out in 2008. I was shocked at how horrific they were. The story was not unique or special, and I couldn't relate to the main character. As far as graphics, cut scenes are okay but the general game doesn't look any better than a 360/ps3 game. I finished the game and did all the side missions but was left with just a "meh" impression, nothing memorable.

    Oh I forgot about the police/enemy chases: whoever programmed them is sadistic. You run miles away from the enemy and they magically just spawn right next to you, and rubber band to you no matter what you do. It's practically impossible to get away from them, even when I changed the game to easy mode. I wanted to break my tv quite a few times.    … Expand
  4. Gcforce
    Jun 12, 2014
    5
    Does not live up to the hype. The game is full of boring characters, boring story, boring side-missions, and dull gameplay. The story is bland and predictible, the only good part is the fun open world.
  5. SimpleMethod
    May 31, 2014
    5
    Sigh. It is not the worst game of the past year or two, just one of the most disappointing. I have the feeling that on the PS4 it may be ever so slightly better, but on the Xbox One in it's current condition, Watch Dogs looks like Grand theft Auto 4 on an Xbox 360. That is only the beginning of the issues. The driving, while you do get semi used to it, is atrocious. It feels like driving aSigh. It is not the worst game of the past year or two, just one of the most disappointing. I have the feeling that on the PS4 it may be ever so slightly better, but on the Xbox One in it's current condition, Watch Dogs looks like Grand theft Auto 4 on an Xbox 360. That is only the beginning of the issues. The driving, while you do get semi used to it, is atrocious. It feels like driving a roller coaster down a paved road, or as if you were driving a sports car on ludes. The gunplay is tense and shockingly realistic, and car crashes are also realistic. The city of Chicago is reflected here with a high degree of accuracy and is convincing, but generally looks very poor and hollow. At night and when it's raining, this game looks decent. The framerate drops are absolutely crippling, though. It's really, really bad and they have messed up a lot of my sessions. The story is fine, I didn't love it but I had no issue with it, Aiden Pearce is a decent protagonist but the people surrounding him are much more interesting. The multiplayer is really cool, actually, it's just surrounded by a buggy game. Encryption mode is really tense and great, hacking into other players world's is fun, and open world online is unique. Overall Watch Dogs is a decent idea but not a great game, and unless they patch it, is worth nothing more than $20. Sorry, guys.… Expand
  6. rahzel
    May 29, 2014
    5
    Tearing, framerate drops, 792p resolution, no ambient occlusion, low shadow resolution. Game is not a looker on XB1. Game is pretty good though.

    If you own a PS4 though, that is definitely the better version.
  7. blackballx
    May 31, 2014
    5
    This is a bad game. I bought it and returned it for Wolfenstein (which is class). The graphics are terrible, the controls are awkward, the driving is useless. Do not buy!!!! No fun to play. GTAV does it all so much better. In fact I even enjoyed sleeping dogs more than this.
  8. JamesDeLuca
    Jun 26, 2014
    5
    Lousy GTA clone + interesting concept = Watchdogs

    Watchdogs offers some original content to the GTA clone genre, but its still just a lousy GTA clone. I would call the driving physics in WD awful, but that would be an insult to games with awful driving physics. Not only do the cars drive like N64 but they look like N64. There is no texture, detail or appeal of any kind. The    Lousy GTA clone + interesting concept = Watchdogs

    Watchdogs offers some original content to the GTA clone genre, but its still just a lousy GTA clone.

    I would call the driving physics in WD awful, but that would be an insult to games with awful driving physics.

    Not only do the cars drive like N64 but they look like N64. There is no texture, detail or appeal of any kind.

    The cityscape is okay, but lacks realism. Overall, GTA 5 on 360 looks better than WD on 1.

    The only exceptional aspect of this game is character and plot progression. Ubi Mtl always nails it.    … Expand
  9. DrakeBristow
    May 28, 2014
    5
    I don't know why we have fanboys putting 10s on this game, and I don't understand why we have trolls putting a 0 on it!

    Here is an unbiased opinion from the standpoint of the marketing of this game; what was promised and what was delivered. The concept of this game intrigued me from the very beginning, and the possibilities seemed endless, it didn't seem like this would be another GTA    I don't know why we have fanboys putting 10s on this game, and I don't understand why we have trolls putting a 0 on it!

    Here is an unbiased opinion from the standpoint of the marketing of this game; what was promised and what was delivered. The concept of this game intrigued me from the very beginning, and the possibilities seemed endless, it didn't seem like this would be another GTA clone but something that would expound upon and create its own name in the sandbox open world genre. This game falls just short of that! With a cumbersome hacking component, ineffective driving experience and a story lacking substance. This all combined creates a less desired experience although the game isn't a bomb, but it isn't the masterpiece some users are saying. I would say rent the game, or wait till it drops in price. Its just blah...    … Expand
  10. DarrMunny
    Jun 3, 2014
    6
    Terrible driving mechanics worst ive played its like they have chucked it in for the sake of it, meaningless police chases for whatever reason just annoying really.To me there is no structure in the storyline it seems very haphazard, it just put me off completely.
  11. Masterhummel
    May 27, 2014
    6
    There's not that much to say about the graphic controversity. The game looks good, no doubt, but not nearly as good as in the E3 Trailers, Launch Trailer or Steam Shop Page Screenshots. By all means, this form of false advertising has to stop. Also, getting hours less of playtime because i didnt bought the "Digitale Deluxe" Edition is just wrong and should not be supported.

    For the game    There's not that much to say about the graphic controversity. The game looks good, no doubt, but not nearly as good as in the E3 Trailers, Launch Trailer or Steam Shop Page Screenshots. By all means, this form of false advertising has to stop. Also, getting hours less of playtime because i didnt bought the "Digitale Deluxe" Edition is just wrong and should not be supported.

    For the game itself, its your average GTA style game. The story is very odd and inconsistent. The one moment i beat someone up with a basbeall bat, then i'm visiting my nephew, then i'm suddenly Badass McBadBat again. The side Missions are extremly dull and usually consist of dozens of heavily armed dudes getting thrown at you. You have whole military-like mob convoys driving trough the city. Whoever runs the city is probably the worst police state in the history of gaming.

    The gameplay is uber-realistic. You have a three meter turn radius, every car handles like a formula one car that has tanked cerosine and the gunplay is quite odd. That said, there are good things in watchdogs and its fun to **** around with the city, but its not enough to keep me want to play it.

    In the end, Watch_Dogs is not a bad game. Its just extremely average.    … Expand
  12. EatableBread
    Jul 13, 2015
    5
    What is Watch Dogs? After being showcased at E3, and everyone's minds being consecutively blown, the game is finally out. How is it? Terrible. I've spent awhile trying to think of a single good thing about Watch Dogs, but I just can't. The driving is bad, so much so that I would rather play Grand Theft Auto 4 (a game with really weak driving) or even Saints Row 4 (a game with tackedWhat is Watch Dogs? After being showcased at E3, and everyone's minds being consecutively blown, the game is finally out. How is it? Terrible. I've spent awhile trying to think of a single good thing about Watch Dogs, but I just can't. The driving is bad, so much so that I would rather play Grand Theft Auto 4 (a game with really weak driving) or even Saints Row 4 (a game with tacked on driving). The handling feels terrible, and its a chore to drive (not good in an open world game with cars as the main prospect of travel). The gunplay is even worse. Shooting feels stiff, unchallenging, and unsatisfying. When you shoot in a game, you should feel powerful. In Watch Dogs, I just feel like I'm shooting a nicely skinned Nerf Gun. Hacking is over-simplistic where most of the time it's just hitting 'X' and something happens. The open world is boring, dull, uninteresting where the only thing happening is popping up your phone so you can listen on people's conversations, see criminal records, and personal information. If you want see examples of good open worlds see: Witcher 3 or Grand Theft Auto 5 (just to name a few). The game is looks utterly uninspired. I'm not speaking of the clear downgrade in visual fidelity from E3. The game just looks about as fun as it is to play. Chicago is a boring landscape to look at in Watch Dogs, I have no interest in actually going there because this game does absolutely no justice for it. Lighting is pretty good at night (to be fair), but other than that the game looks dull, and looks like it came from the early PS3/360 days (and this is on current gen hardware). Multiplayer is empty on the Xbox One, hardly anyone ever plays it. But when you do get in a game, you're met with a long list of technical issues including a steady sub 20 frames, extremely terrible lag, and sometimes even hard crashing (note that this game also came out on 360/PS3, and I played on a Xbox One so there problems might even be worse on the 360/PS3). The story..is bland. It tries to teach you something with its message, but ultimately contradicts itself with gameplay, and its uninteresting main character. Digital trips are a feature where you can take 'digital drugs' and trip and have some wacky adventures! Sound like fun? Too bad, it's nothing more than to compete with Saints Row 4's wacky activities. The Spider Tank is simply destroy this, destroy that. The Psychodelic trip is bouncing from flower to flower (which wasn't even fun the first time, let alone the 17 times you had to do it to be rewarded). The other two aren't even worth mentioning. In the end, Watch Dogs tries to be another great open world game, but doesn't do enough with its own ideas to be even noteworthy. Instead it would rather compete with the other great open world games by sloppily trying to mimic them, but its too busy rolling around in its own mediocrity to be as good as the other games. So Watch Dogs can be summed up as a Sloppy GTA V/SR4 clone, seeing as everything done in it was pretty sloppy.… Expand
  13. Thompson83
    Oct 7, 2014
    5
    A poor man's GTA, Watch Dogs is hamstringed by both it's lack of vision and execution.

    There is much more wrong with the experience than is right, and it turns out that a cellphone is a poor substitute for a handgun. I swallowed my hesitation (after reading the user reviews) and went out and picked up the title, I sincerely wish that I'd saved my money. The    A poor man's GTA, Watch Dogs is hamstringed by both it's lack of vision and execution.

    There is much more wrong with the experience than is right, and it turns out that a cellphone is a poor substitute for a handgun. I swallowed my hesitation (after reading the user reviews) and went out and picked up the title, I sincerely wish that I'd saved my money. The driving/parkour/combat/gunplay are all loose and gimmicky. The stealth system is a borderline joke and the minigames are so lacking in context/fun that I'd rather spend the time flossing.

    Aiden has to be the least likable protagonist I've encountered in quite some time. He's a standard 'gruff & nondescript white guy' without a glimmer of charisma or nuance. A real lowest common denominator portrayal of a tough guy. His motivations are contrary to themselves (I've got to stop this criminal from beating on this woman, but on the way there, I'm going to steal all this single mother's money from her bank account) and on the whole, it's not a pleasant on convincing experience to embody him.

    Given the hype machine for this game prior to its release, I was very disappointed with the graphics/story/characters/gameplay. Perhaps this is the first in a long series of games in which the sequels will be able to build upon the source material and create compelling experiences, ala the Assassin's Creed franchise. Right now, it's a failed tech demo, that doesn't have enough (read: any) redeeming quality to merit a recommendation.    … Expand
  14. conmon99
    Aug 31, 2014
    5
    If Ubisoft had developed this game as much as they had hyped it, the final product would've been a much greater success. Instead Watch Dogs is more of a game rental than a buy. It's good fun but quickly deteriorates into repetitive events and drab missions. There wasn't any spice that kept it going. As for the multiplayer, it too is good fun at first. But with larger matches quicklyIf Ubisoft had developed this game as much as they had hyped it, the final product would've been a much greater success. Instead Watch Dogs is more of a game rental than a buy. It's good fun but quickly deteriorates into repetitive events and drab missions. There wasn't any spice that kept it going. As for the multiplayer, it too is good fun at first. But with larger matches quickly devolving into glitchy messes, the game is just overall unsustainable. So go ahead and rent it or borrow it to play the game, beat it, and have a little bit of fun while you're at it. But once it's finished, you'll probably be looking for a store to trade it in for something better and longer lasting.… Expand
  15. Mudgee
    Nov 19, 2014
    5
    Over-hyped and a poor clone/wannabe of GTA5. Whilst it functions freely and is generically not that bad of a game. It shortly following such a masterpiece as Grand Theft Auto and the extensive hype surrounding this game, let it down greatly. I remember purchasing it some months back, and by the end of the day, it was back in it's case. It is now growing cobwebs out of my cupboard. TheOver-hyped and a poor clone/wannabe of GTA5. Whilst it functions freely and is generically not that bad of a game. It shortly following such a masterpiece as Grand Theft Auto and the extensive hype surrounding this game, let it down greatly. I remember purchasing it some months back, and by the end of the day, it was back in it's case. It is now growing cobwebs out of my cupboard. The problem with Watchdogs is that whilst nothing about it is significantly bad, nothing about it is good either. It's a very ho-hum, quite dull train ride to mediocrity. Like the greatest of ideals, like communism; it appeared and read great on paper, with revolutionary sounding ideals - It just couldn't make it work in reality.… Expand
  16. saibear12
    Sep 10, 2014
    5
    It was pretty to look at and had some interesting ideas but the story just could not hold me. I never was able to finish because I just got bored. And the hacking from online people or hacking people online was quite frustrating. I suppose I was just bad at it.
  17. VGHS
    Sep 12, 2014
    5
    Even though the single-player story is thrilling (mostly), the open world is not all of what was expected, getting players easily bored. I also had really high expectations about the multiplayer mode, which is a total disappointment for not only having not a thing to do, but also by not being fun at all. Compared to GTA 5's fun multiplayer and larger, full of possibilities world, it getsEven though the single-player story is thrilling (mostly), the open world is not all of what was expected, getting players easily bored. I also had really high expectations about the multiplayer mode, which is a total disappointment for not only having not a thing to do, but also by not being fun at all. Compared to GTA 5's fun multiplayer and larger, full of possibilities world, it gets only worse, overcoming only at its better, revenge-seeking campaign.… Expand
  18. Daelus
    Sep 13, 2015
    7
    First and foremost, anyone that rates any game a 0 is an idiot....period.....and to be fair, most people that rate games 10 are as well,,,,but I digress.

    Watch Dogs I feel missed on on being a very good game by a thin line. The story was cliche but good, a lot like Witcher, if you choose to ignore the contradictions it is easy to become immersed....if for what reason, you are not    First and foremost, anyone that rates any game a 0 is an idiot....period.....and to be fair, most people that rate games 10 are as well,,,,but I digress.

    Watch Dogs I feel missed on on being a very good game by a thin line. The story was cliche but good, a lot like Witcher, if you choose to ignore the contradictions it is easy to become immersed....if for what reason, you are not immersed, the story can seem uninspiring and nonsensical.

    Pros.
    Story has flow and the game is well paced,
    No shortage of open world activities to partake in.
    Casual driving is far more realistic than GTA V (see cons)
    Hacking is a great concept and they didn't miss pulling it off in a gamechanging way by much.....it never quite got there though as hey made too much hackable which took from he experience.

    Cons
    God the soundtrack was horrible....I rarely notice soundtracks but this one mut have had almost no budget and we wound up with 50 or so really bad songs.
    Driving at speed and specifically turning is bugged. The camera never catches up with the turn and you invariably crash.....unbelievable this didn't get fixed.
    Moving out of hiding/ crouching position is far too difficult....died far too many times as the character wouldn't stop hugging the wall!    … Expand
  19. oldmaster1818
    Oct 15, 2021
    7
    Watch dogs was a surprising good game that did most things quite well. Set in an awesome location, it was a lively city with plenty of activities, and with the ability to hack most things lent itself to a good experience. Sure, the game could have been better, but for a new Ubisoft brand, I was happy enough.

    Pros- Very well designed city (with nice rendering, reflections, chimney    Watch dogs was a surprising good game that did most things quite well. Set in an awesome location, it was a lively city with plenty of activities, and with the ability to hack most things lent itself to a good experience. Sure, the game could have been better, but for a new Ubisoft brand, I was happy enough.

    Pros-
    Very well designed city (with nice rendering, reflections, chimney smoke effects and water)
    Voice acting is top shelf
    James Dean lookalike in that coat!
    Hacking games are great fun
    Jumping camera to camera is brilliant
    Texas Holdem/Chess is a nice diversion
    Storyline/Campaign was nicely serious in tone, and not over-the-top like GTA/Saints
    Weather-Rain system rocked!
    Chicago looks lovely at night
    Heaps of weapons

    Cons-
    Driving felt floaty and simple, although I did get used to it
    Clothing options are only reskins
    Npc's faces and modelling gets very repetitive
    Song-track listing should have been so much better
    No customization on vehicles or weapons
    The final mission had both good parts and poor parts unfortunately.

    Also note that the dead zone on the control pad was so tiny that my worn out Xbox kept making the character auto walk everywhere. With no option to change the dead zone or a second controller the game soon became a chore. Only play this this game with new devices!

    Game Content- 8 out of ten
    Fun Factor- 7 out of ten

    Overall- 7.5    … Expand
  20. azgoodaz
    Jul 8, 2015
    6
    Watch Dogs? Well, it was a very very interesting game. The storyline could have been worked on, the driving sucked (it feels uncontrollable), the shooting is decent, and the hacking.. well you press "X". Hacking really would have been worked on, a lot. They should have put in more hacking buttons into the game to make it more challenging like a puzzle but it felt like "Press X to PayWatch Dogs? Well, it was a very very interesting game. The storyline could have been worked on, the driving sucked (it feels uncontrollable), the shooting is decent, and the hacking.. well you press "X". Hacking really would have been worked on, a lot. They should have put in more hacking buttons into the game to make it more challenging like a puzzle but it felt like "Press X to Pay Respects" (COD: AW joke) type of thing. Where you do it over and over again. But the loved the combat style of the game, you can do missions stealthy or you can just do it run and gun. I felt like it was a mix of GTA and Assassins Creed.

    If you loved this game and you gave it a 10/10. And if you have a Uplay account, you could use your points to unlock special gear/clothes. You can even use your points to buy a in-game car which is pretty cool, but again the driving in the game sucks. Lastly, they have a Watch Dog companion app which you can use that and play/race against the clock to out hack the user. For example, a player in-game can load of this gamemode and you the one the car have to race through checkpoints and get to the finish line. But on the app side, another player controls the city pipelines, cops, helicopters, and more to try and take you down.

    For some reason, if they do make a Watch Dogs 2. I wont be buying it, but I will be surly playing the companion app if they make another one because that was pretty fun.    … Expand
  21. AliGSix
    Sep 9, 2014
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I don’t understand why I have left it this late to write a review? Possibly because I have just got over the huge disappointment that is Watch Dogs. This game offered so much in original plot, next gen graphics and open world but failed deliver in every area. I have to feel people giving this game any higher than a seven must disillusioned and people giving it lower than three are just being a little bit harsh.

    A linear storyline that manipulated you into thinking you could hack anything but in reality it was all scripted anyway and the story lacked any real originality and quite frankly watching paint to dry is more engaging. Aiden Pearce the main protagonist has the personality of a brick wall. And the dramatic, emotional music which prolonged after a main character’s death was just cringe worthy.

    So why haven’t I given this a lower rating you may ask. Well this game did have some interesting features if built upon could seriously have improved the game. The online was quite enjoyable entering someone’s game and hacking them was extremely tense and quite fun

    I am just hoping now that Ubisoft redeem themselves with Assassin’s Creed Unity and Far Cry 4    … Expand
  22. BohicaSNAFU
    Jun 4, 2014
    6
    Game gets monotonous quickly. Has a lot of similarities to its Assassin's Creed counterpart but not done as well. Driving mechanics are hideous and lack of original missions make for a game with very little replay value. Overall a disappointment for as long as we had to wait for it to come out.
  23. SimpleReviewz
    Aug 1, 2014
    7
    Reviewing this game will likely be difficult. While Watch Dogs does indeed have some good stuff in it, there's just one fact I can't get over with this game: Watch Dogs is not the game that was advertised or promised by Ubisoft. However, it wasn't hard for me to find good stuff in Watch Dogs, and vice versa. Let's start with the story. The main plot here is that Aiden Pearce's (mainReviewing this game will likely be difficult. While Watch Dogs does indeed have some good stuff in it, there's just one fact I can't get over with this game: Watch Dogs is not the game that was advertised or promised by Ubisoft. However, it wasn't hard for me to find good stuff in Watch Dogs, and vice versa. Let's start with the story. The main plot here is that Aiden Pearce's (main character) niece gets killed, and he basically goes on for revenge. Don't worry, it gets deeper from there. However, while the depth of the story strengthens, it also becomes slightly jumbled. It also takes notes from other revenge stories, like Batman. It can also get generic. How are the characters? The supporting cast is very, very unique. T-Bone will go down as one of my favourite characters in games this year. Another great one is Jordi, even though he was heavily under utilized. There are many others, too. Watch Dogs' biggest fault with its characters is that the one you play as is the most boring one. Aiden Pearce has absolutely no personality whatsoever, and I found most of his lines to be generic and stupid. Heck, I even began to hate Aiden. Overall, I found the story, plot, and characters of the game to be 70% positive, and 30% negative. Now let's get to the things that truly matter: GAMEPLAY. Watch Dogs does have new ideas to introduce to the open-world genre, but I did slightly feel like I've played games like it before. The one mechanic that made people get extremely excited over Watch Dogs was the hacking. You can hack cameras, grenades, communication comms, city bridges, doors, blockers, steam pipes, and much more. I found the game to have a good balance between basic action gameplay, and hacking. Overall, the hacking is just hold X to hack, but I did feel it added a great element to the game. Hacking was shown more dynamic before the game was released, though. The third-person shooting of the game is pretty good. I found the cover system of the game to be great and simple. You can also approach the combat in varied ways. Let's talk about the driving. Overall, most of the cars handle differently. However, some of them handled like the roads were covered in soap, which I disliked. The game's missions also have many car chases, and the car combat is meh. The only way you can approach it is to hack the city's things to make the enemies' cars crash. You can't shoot out the window. The game has a wealth of side activities that I found to be entertaining, too. I didn't like the game's graphics, though. On Xbox One, it honestly looks like last-gen. It irritated me that Ubisoft will show the game to look so amazing in the E3 demos, but downgrade it in the full game. WTF? Yes, Watch Dogs was NOT the game we were promised. Then again, there's fun to be had in the game. In my opinion, the game is a little better than the average open-world title. It will take you a long time to do everything. If you're a quantity over quality kind of person, the game is worth $50. If you're vice versa, the game is worth $20.… Expand
  24. Steelselecta
    Jun 29, 2014
    6
    Watch Dogs is a fairly competent open world game, and tries to bring in fresh ideas, but ultimately it doesn't quite hit a the mark. The introduction of being able to manipulate objects in the world via hacking is quite fun, and some interesting things happen especially with car chases which are very good fun in the game. It just works well and adds a layer of depth to the driving.Watch Dogs is a fairly competent open world game, and tries to bring in fresh ideas, but ultimately it doesn't quite hit a the mark. The introduction of being able to manipulate objects in the world via hacking is quite fun, and some interesting things happen especially with car chases which are very good fun in the game. It just works well and adds a layer of depth to the driving.
    Unfortunately , hacking aside, the rest of what the game has to offer is lacklustre in parts. The shooting, stealth, the missions, story and characters are all too much of what we have seen before. All in, the gameplay is solid and works very well including the "free running" pinched from Assassins Creed, it just doesn't excite you & doesn't feel fresh. GTA done the whole thing better, and I was hoping that Watch Dogs would beat it, or at least match it.
    I think what really lets Watch Dogs down is the characters/story and the actual playground of Chicago. It just seems very bland and uninteresting and you never really get to appreciate either as it is so generic. Typical revenge plot that really fails to grip you, soulless characters and an open world that we have seen over and over.
    It may seem that I am very negative toward the game, but it does have some merits.
    The living world created is better that GTA I believe, the people of Chicago are more varied to the daily routines as opposed to what GTA done and is rare when you find people doing the same thing. It feels more natural and realistic, people calling police on you etc. Plus there is tons to do in the game and keep you occupied with a variety of things, if only to get repetitive after a while.
    All in all, I think you wouldn't do wrong to play the game, but after the deceptive unveiling of the game by Ubisoft 2 years ago at E3, don't expect to find anything ground breaking.

    PROS:
    Hacking is great fun, and opens up the game to some interesting ideas.
    Gameplay is solid and polished
    Tons & tons of things to do!!

    CONS:
    Story and Characters - Same old same old I'm afraid
    Chicago looks too familiar from what we have seen in other open world games
    Graphics are not a bit like what Ubisoft showed at E3 a couple of years ago, GTA looks better..
    Aiden Pierce's voice will grind you after a while.

    Overall I give the game a 6. Here's hoping the sequel knocks it out of the park!

    Honest and unbiased reviews from Steelselecta!!    … Expand
  25. Wastemaster24
    Aug 2, 2014
    7
    Watch Dogs is Ubisoft's brand new IP. It is set in the near future Chicago, where technology has completely taken over. And, everything is controlled by the CtOS (Central Operating System). You play as Aiden Pearce who sadly has the personality of the trench coat he wears. Anyway, Watch Dogs is a good game but not an amazing game by any stretch of the imagination. The story is ratherWatch Dogs is Ubisoft's brand new IP. It is set in the near future Chicago, where technology has completely taken over. And, everything is controlled by the CtOS (Central Operating System). You play as Aiden Pearce who sadly has the personality of the trench coat he wears. Anyway, Watch Dogs is a good game but not an amazing game by any stretch of the imagination. The story is rather simplistic but becomes a bit more complex as it goes on. But like in almost all Ubisoft games the story isn't the only thing you can do in the game. Watch Dogs has a number of varying side missions, my favourite by far is the gang hideouts, which contains the do as you like mentality when you could stealth the entire place not killing anyone or run in taking them one by one or run in gun blazing. When, I play Watch Dogs it isn't the story or the side missions or the characters that bring me back it is the city. Chicago is beautifully represented in the game and just walking around looking at the architecture and the landmarks is just overwhelming. Overall, for the first game in this franchise I think it is ok and I look forward to exploring the cities Ubisoft recreate in the next Watch Dogs.… Expand
  26. Na7Viac
    Jun 16, 2014
    6
    This game under-delivered. With all the hype around it, I was expecting it to be much more immersive and diverse than what I got. The story was interesting, but the characters (especially Pierce) didn't seem that deep. I loved the concept and the ability to hack a lot of things in the world was fun, but did get repetitive. The world was expansive and visually really neat. But I've lived inThis game under-delivered. With all the hype around it, I was expecting it to be much more immersive and diverse than what I got. The story was interesting, but the characters (especially Pierce) didn't seem that deep. I loved the concept and the ability to hack a lot of things in the world was fun, but did get repetitive. The world was expansive and visually really neat. But I've lived in Chicago and the game honestly did not feel like you were in a major city.. Here are a couple examples for my comments [spoilers below]

    Hacking: You can hack a ton of stuff in game, sometimes it's fun just running or driving around changing lights or blowing up stuff. But I felt like there were several times (especially late in the game) when hacking is completely unusable. For instance, one late-game mission you are being chased by cops (who have the amazing ability to never stop coming and chase you down time and time again). At most points in the game, you can outrun them an hide, just not this mission. You have to reach several points on the map and deal with cops chasing you WITHOUT the ability to hack anything. The whole point of the game is hacking, then it's randomly taken away?

    Combat: I thought the combat was done pretty well, some of the side missions with gang hideouts, convoys, and getaways were fun. But I felt like the stealth component was lacking pretty bad. It seemed like most missions you start out trying to stealthily take down someone only to be spotted and have to change to a guns-blazing, grenade throwing, and IED setting madman. Oh, and sniper rifles are just about completely useless in game.

    Story: The story was alright, but nothing outstanding. A man seeks vengeance for the death of his niece, ends up making matters worse, then saves everyone and walks away at the end. I was never impressed with any of the characters (TBone was probably the best). There were a couple plot twists that didn't make a whole lot of sense and left me thinking "well, that was dumb." But I did feel like they made some good connections with why Pierce was on his vengeful quest.

    There were some good points, overall it was enjoyable to play. It was engaging, the hacking was a cool feature, the online interactions with hacking other people was fun, the world was fun to look at and explore, and combat was pretty engaging once guns started firing. The enemies aren't complete idiots, and will hide behind cover and try to flank you.

    Overall, I give it a 6, almost 7. The 6 only because I felt like I was told this game was going to be the next big thing. But it wasn't. It was a decent game, not extraordinary. Keep going Ubisoft, I know you can make quality stuff, I believe you can make this better.    … Expand
  27. DarthGoogle
    May 30, 2014
    6
    I was hopeful when I opened the packaging that this would be the best game ever. Sadly - Ubisoft forgot to pay gamers to leave favorable reviews. I'll take you through the good and the bad as I see them and you can decide for yourself.

    The Good: The graphics are great. Some of the best and the close up perspective makes you feel immersed in the game world. The amount of things to    I was hopeful when I opened the packaging that this would be the best game ever. Sadly - Ubisoft forgot to pay gamers to leave favorable reviews. I'll take you through the good and the bad as I see them and you can decide for yourself.

    The Good:

    The graphics are great. Some of the best and the close up perspective makes you feel immersed in the game world.

    The amount of things to do is unlimited. There are so many things you could forget the side missions and do your own thing without the story. This could be good or bad.

    Diversity - there are a significant number of diverse characters with different ideas and professions. However after about 5% into the game you'll start getting repeat conversations and find people with the same issues.

    The Bad:

    I am a stickler for gameplay. Being a former video game producer I can tell you that bad gameplay will always kill a game. Of course you'll get the fanboys who love it no matter what but if you thought you were getting a modern day Assassins Creed you are in for a rude awakening.

    The games AI is dreadful. You are always the focus. If enemies shoot at you and some passerby calls the police, the police show up to shoot you. Not arrest you, detain you, but full on shoot to kill. I had one point where a guy shot at me robbing a woman and the police officer standing there just turned and shot me.

    The Police always know where you are even when you are hiding. I was hiding behind a wall when someone heard shots and called the police. The police showed up and even though I was hiding they all walked pointing their guns towards my hiding spot.

    The game forces you to play its way. I don't like open world games that tout freedom to do things as a way to force you to do things that make it impossible. Forcing you to use melee to take down an enemy surrounded by armed thugs seems a bit on the dumb side without even giving a reason for it. You can kill all the enemies but shooting that guy is off limits.

    Why did Namco make this game? Everything about this game feels like you are playing a Konami light gun arcade game. From the large yellow bullets to the campy game dialogue that is almost cartoony. The game is right up there with Lethal Enforcers... I mean they could have named it that and it would have been true tot he name.

    Everyone recognizes you. Why? Isn't the purpose of being incognito to not be recognized yet everyone on the street knows who you are?

    You can walk around and shoot people but melee is out of the questions unless you are taking down a scripted bad guy. It's like melee was an after thought.

    Multiplayer - nothing says fun like being constantly interrupted during your game by people randomly hacking you without a choice. Don't want to be online? Well then you don't get anything for online and it resets everything.

    Steal from everyone - Here's this guy who is a vigilante, but he has no issues robbing people who are foster parents, cub scout leaders, and social workers. Also if you find someone with a criminal record and you kill them... nope that's your bad. You should not have been a vigilante on that. It's like the information given to you is so you could ignore it and it's pretty much useless. You NEVER use any of it. The good guy shouldn't be stealing money from the accounts of someone who is a charity worker or someone who just got diagnosed with cancer.

    Vehicles handle like crap.

    Getting into cover and then trying to get out of it is impossible at times. This is especially noticeable if you are use to playing GTA and trying to sprint after the guy.

    CONCLUSION - All in all this is an okay game. It's not world changing or even worth playing over GTA. The game sets a new low for gameplay. Kids under 16 will like it, but anyone with a true affinity for games will not. If you like being limited in your gameplay this is probably the best game for you.    … Expand
  28. Kazlowe
    Jun 1, 2014
    6
    It's a fun game, but after you play a bit, you realize it's just a reskin of the same systems and mini-games found in AC and Far Cry. There's iteration but not as much innovation as they claimed in the pre-release. There also seems to be little character motivation to do any of the stuff outside the campaign, but that sandbox has it's own charm as well. Wait for a sale or rent it.
  29. ezerik
    Jun 11, 2014
    6
    I was excited for this game in light of the small selection of games on Xbox One. Gotta say I'm disappointed. It feels like Watch Dogs tries to do GTA but it doesn't come close to doing GTA as good as GTA does GTA (if that makes sense). Hacking is unique and brings a good amount of cool features. Otherwise, it feels like a poor man's GTA. That's the best I can describe it. Multiplayer isI was excited for this game in light of the small selection of games on Xbox One. Gotta say I'm disappointed. It feels like Watch Dogs tries to do GTA but it doesn't come close to doing GTA as good as GTA does GTA (if that makes sense). Hacking is unique and brings a good amount of cool features. Otherwise, it feels like a poor man's GTA. That's the best I can describe it. Multiplayer is clumsy - you can invite friends to the same game, but I haven't figured out how to assure we're on the same team. Driving isn't as smooth as you'd like. Graphics are straight, not spectacular. Haven't felt like playing it much, already back on Titanfall more regularly. It's not awful but it's ok.… Expand
  30. Nataraja
    Aug 19, 2014
    7
    General Overview: This game does a decent job of creating an open world with stealth and action options for completing missions. The story is decent, but not incredible and Aiden is a bit flat as a protagonist and the NPC's really carry the story, not the somewhat monotone main character. The AI can go brain dead or be over the top aggressive and incapable of missing or spotting you.General Overview: This game does a decent job of creating an open world with stealth and action options for completing missions. The story is decent, but not incredible and Aiden is a bit flat as a protagonist and the NPC's really carry the story, not the somewhat monotone main character. The AI can go brain dead or be over the top aggressive and incapable of missing or spotting you. The graphics are decent but not the quality as shown in demos, never the less the graphics are well done. The side missions are a mixed bag but there is a TON to do within the game. Not a must play but worth it if you want something slightly different from other open world titles.

    TL;DNR: 7; A decent open world game with a mix of stealth and action. It doesn't do anything really revolutionary but is a fun game with many things to do. The online challenges are great and a welcome addition. The story is decent although Aiden Pearce is NOT the star of the show - instead its the NPC's along the way that make the game intriguing. Shooting is decent, driving is a bit off and too "floaty" and the forced chase scenes are so variable and often can be frustrating with a lack of check points. Its a decent alternative to other open world titles and can be a lot of fun despite its issues in certain areas.

    Technology/engine: 6; The engine used is decent for the most part... but then you hit the stuttering and frame rate drops for no apparent reason, just at a critical moment and there were at least 6 complete crashes during the campaign.

    AI: 7: its okay and some of it can be challenging although it can also fluctuate wildly from brain dead to omnipotence in various missions in the campaign.

    Graphics: 7: Not the quality shown in demos but certainly not the worst either. There are places where the textures breakdown for no apparent reason and pop-in later. Cinematics are decent.

    Sound: 7: The sound is okay but there are somewhat frequent volume issues with news reports being jarringly loud or whisper silent. Occasionally there are real source to reception distance issues and your own sounds can be over the top loud when moving in stealth or completely absent with not justification for the variability. Over all the sound is acceptable, but there are some places with big issues that were clearly not resolved prior to release.

    Soundtrack: 6: Mediocre at best.

    Voice acting: 7: probably the best part of the game and again the NPC's steal the show with HUGE variability in Aiden and the constant repetition of phrases from the enemy NPC's and the distinctive mismatch of vocal ethnicity and model ethnicity mismatch is jarring in places. The NPC's have done a great job with the majority of the lines and really make the game entertaining.

    Crafting: 5: Its there but not in anyway unique or ground breaking. It fits for the title but that is about it.

    Customization: 7: There are some custom outfits for Aiden and certainly enough skills to be had, although you will have most if not all of them prior to finishing the campaign, especially if you complete the Gang Hideouts as you go that award a skill point per completion at a minimum.

    Game play systems: 7: Fairly standard fair but I will say that the cover system works very well. The driving is perhaps the worst and that you are given the WORST cars to choose from in the forced chase sequences takes what could have been fun and transforms it into a chore. The stealth and hacking are okay and the firewall hacking mini-games are occasionally a pain and overly repetitive.

    Controls: 7: the controls are generally responsive unless you have hit one of the frame rate drops in the game and then it becomes difficult. The general layout is okay and is mostly frustration free EXCEPT the driving which is poorly implemented.

    Story: 7: Its a decent story but not one that will set the world on fire. There are some genuinely sad moments and tough choice in the end but its the NPC's and their part in the story that elevate the game. Had the story about Pearce been on par with say T-Bone or Clara this would be a 9.

    Multiplayer: 8: The multiplayer mini-games are fun and a good addition to the title.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

32
#32 Best Xbox One Game of 2014
9
#9 Most Discussed Xbox One Game of 2014
16
#16 Most Shared Xbox One Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 15 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 15
  3. Negative: 0 out of 15
  1. Pure Xbox
    Oct 21, 2014
    80
    If you were expecting Watch Dogs to take the genre in new directions then you’re going to be sorely disappointed. With that being said, Watch Dogs is still an engaging and often times surprising action game.
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  2. The Digital Fix
    Jun 25, 2014
    70
    With this introduction to the world of hacking Ubisoft have created a behemoth of an IP, one that promises much. Like its predecessor though, we’ll have to wait for the tighter and more focussed second iteration, removing what didn’t work and improving that which did, to realise that full potential.
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  3. X-ONE Magazine UK
    Jun 3, 2014
    70
    Consistently entertaining but lacking in originality, Watch Dogs boasts a hugely promising concept but finds itself coasting along on the triumphs of others. You won’t be disappointed, but you won’t be surprised either.
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